Holy Bol is a chic, elegantly decorated Thai-French fusion restaurant tucked away inside a beautiful Parisian "closed passageway" in the image of the arcades of the 19th century. In addition to the charm of the passageway itself with the natural light coming in through the domes-glass ceiling, the restaurant itself is amazing! The dishes were delicious: fragrant, seasoned with complex but not overpowering flavors, and made with really fresh, high quality ingredients. The presentation was also artfully assembled.
When my boyfriend and I first walked into Holy Bol, we were not sure if they had vegetarian-friendly options but we were in luck. If you are a meat-eater, the restaurant proposes a 14€ bowl with one base plus one protein, then supplements for 4€ each. For vegetarians, it works like this: there is a list of "bases" ranging from fried rice, papaya salad, fried noodles, stir-fried wok vegetables, etc. Then you can and then as many "supplements" as you like, which include Thai salad, vegetarian egg rolls, natural omelet, avocado tartar, etc.
The waitress suggested that we either get 2 bases plus a supplement, or one base and 2 supplements. I got the wok-fried vegetables base with the Thai salad and vegetarian egg rolls; my boyfriend got the papaya salad base with the "avocado tartar" and the natural omelet. The bases were 5€ and the supplements 4€, so we paid 13 € each for our main meal. I was told that they will soon release a new menu with "preset bowls" which will include a vegetarian bowl, so maybe this will be a bit less complicated soon.
As I said above, the sauces were flavorful and did not have that store-bought sweet-and-sour sauce taste that is so common in Asian/ Asian-fusion restaurants. Everything in the bowl came together so well. I was particularly happy with my egg rolls, as they were packed with mushrooms and freshly fried in light oil. My boyfriend was enamored with the Avocado Tartar.
We each tried one of their smoothies of fresh juiced: I had the "red" juice with strawberries and other fruit, and he had the daily special, a special concoction with ginger. I preferred my "red juice" as it was refreshing but not too sweet. I am not really a juice person so I don't know if I would get it again, but my boyfriend really liked his drink.
The other great part of this restaurant: it is also a patisserie. They make all their desserts in house and they are amazing. GET A DESSERT at Holy Bol! It is INCREDIBLE. DON'T SKIP THE DESSERT! I would like to come back just to have a coffee and a slice cake sometime because I was so impressed with the quality of the desserts. We had the cheesecake (which was served in a very generous portion) that was flavored with a lemon-zest glaze. It was light and creamy and just dissolved in the mouth. We also had the "café gourmand" which featured three small portions of different desserts: a raspberry Panna cotta in a glass, a tapioca-coconut pudding topped with mangos, and a slice of pistachio coffee cake. My favorite was the coconut pudding with mango because it was light, a bit tangy, not too sweet, and something really original to this restaurant.
The staff was also very friendly and helpful (not something I can often honestly say in Paris) and the atmosphere was chic yet relaxing. I can't wait to go back again! Especially if you are a bit tired of eating bread and cheese based meals like quiches, risotto, lasagna and vegetable tarts in Paris and want to have a healthy, delicious, fresh and original meal, Holy Bowl is perfect. read more